Retractable wheel assembly for boats



Dec. 95 1958 l.1. BEAR RETRACTABLE WHEEL AssE MBLY FOR BOATS Filed OCL. 10, 1955 1N VENT OR ATTORNEY United States Patent Oiice 2,863,159 Patented Dec. 9, 1958 RETRACTABLE WHEEL ASSEMBLY FOR BOATS Joe Bear, Denison, Tex.

Application October 10, 1955, Serial No. 539,565

6 Claims. (ci. 9 1) This invention relates to retractable wheel assemblies for boats.

The principal object of the invention is to provide wheel assemblies especially designed to be mounted on the stern or transom of a boat as compared to those adaptable to the sides of a boat and by which a better balance of the added weight of the wheels is obtained, combined with the fact that the operation of raising and lowering the wheels, which is usually accomplished while the boat is in the water, is made easier.

Another object of the invention is to provide a boat wheel assembly which consists of a permanent or stationary mounting plate aiiixed to the boat transom and on which is attached for rotation about a central axis, a disc to which are aixed the inner ends of a pair of laterally extending wheel supporting arms whose opposite ends are relatively convergent to jointly support a wheel carrying frame incorporating a wheel fork, axle, wheel, fender and shock. absorbers. Provision for locking the wheel in raised and lowered positions is made through the medium of slots in the rotatable disc receiving studs in the stationary plate, the rotatable disc being movable perpendicularly in relation to the stationary plate to effect its release and reengagement with the locking studs in raising and lowering the wheel.

Other objects will become manifest as the description proceeds when considered with the annexed drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a rear elevational view of a boat showing the retractable wheel assemblies of the invention installed thereon.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the boat with an intermediate section cut away and showing the invention attached.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing the prow of the boat to illustrate the forward wheel and support.

Figure 4 is a sectional View of the wheel mounting taken on line 44 of Figure l, and

Figure 5 is a detail view of the forward wheel and mounting.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference numeral denotes generally a boat of conventional design and construction, having a transsome 11. Mounted on the transom 11 are two wheel assembliesv generally designated by reference numerals 12 and 13, one adjacent each end of the transom, as shown. These assemblies are identical to each other, hence it is necessary to describe only one and the same reference numerals will be used to identify like parts in each.

A mounting plate 14, preferably circular in form, is secured to the boat transom 11 by means of a series of annularly spaced bolts 15 whose heads 16 are-countersunk in the outer face of the mounting plate 14. The bolts 14 extend through the boat transom 11 and nuts 17 are threaded onto their inner ends against sealing washers 18 (Figure 4).

The mounting plate 14 (Figure 4) has a recess 19 in its geometrical center which is adapted to receive the head 20 of a bolt 21 and which is welded at 22 in the recess 19, as shown in Figure 4.

Mounted for rotation on the bolt 21 is a disc 23. This disc has a radial slot 24 which enables the disc to be slid onto the bolt 21 laterally, thus facilitating its mounting. Diametrically opposite the slot 24 is a notch 25 (Figure l) which is adapted to receive a stud 26 anchored in and extending outwardly from the mounting plate 14. A similar notch 27 is made in the perimeter of the disc 23, spaced from the slot 24 and the notch 25.

When the wheel assembly is in operative position, shown at the left in Figure 1, the stud 26 in the mounting plate 14 will repose in the notch 25 of the disc 23. However, when the wheel assembly is in the inoperative position shown at the right in Figure l, the notch 27 will have been moved to a position to engage the stud 26 and thus hold the wheel assembly raised.

In order to disengage the disc 23 from the mounting plate 14 for rotation thereon, a nut 2S, threaded onto the bolt 21 against the disc 23, is backed off by the handle 29 so that the disc 23 may be moved outwardly to clear the end of the stud 26, after which the disc is turned to a position to engage the desired notch 25 or 27 with the stud 26 and the nut 28 is again brought to bear on the disc to hold it against outward displacement. The wheel supporting frame of each wheel assembly consists of two right angle members 30 of angle iron or some equivalent stock. One leg 31 of each of the relatively parallel members 30 is pivoted at 32 to one leg of a wheel fork 33, the latter straddling a wheel 34 and carrying the axle 35 on which the yoke prevents side-sway of the wheel and the wheel is held on its axle 35 by cotter keys 36 or equivalent means.

Pivotally attached at its lower end at 37 to each leg of the wheel fork 33 is a rod 38 and on each rod 38 is mounted a lower coil spring 39. The lower end of each coil spring 39 bears against a iixed washer or stop 40 on each rod 38. The upper end of the lower coil spring 39 bears against the underside of the companion leg 41 of the L-shaped member 34) of the wheel frame, thereby biasing the wheel yoke 33 normally away from the leg 41 of the wheel frame to provide a shock absorber for the wheel 34. A second coil spring 42 surrounds the upper end of the rod 38 which extends loosely through an opening in the leg 41 of the frame member 30 andl carries a nut 44 on its outer end. The spring 42 bears against this nut at one end and against a flange of the leg 41 of member 30 at its opposite end. The fender 43 is attached at its inner end to a wheel frame supporting arm 45 and is supported at its outer end by means of a strap 46 (Figure 2) which latter is secured to and extends outwardly from the leg 41 of the frame member 30.

The frame supporting arm 45 referred to is one of a pair of outwardly converging arms, the companion arm being indicated by reference numeral 47. The inner ends of both of these arms 45 and 47 are welded at 48 (Figure l) to the disc 23 and extend laterally therefrom. These arms are made preferably of angle iron and are secured rigidly to the parallel wheel frames 30 by brackets 49 and 50 (Figure l).

When the wheel assemblies 12 and 13 are in lowered or operative position, they extend past the sides of the boat 10 and the space between the wheels 34 is equal to the standard spacing of the wheels of automobiles, hence the boat wheels are able to track the wheels of a towing vehicle. i

In their operative positions, the frame supporting arms 45 and 47 are limited in their downward lmovement by studs 51 which are longer than the studs 26 which engage with selective notches 25 and 27 of the disc 23. The studs 51 serve to support the wheel frames when the discs 23 are moved outwardly on the bolts 21 in adjusting the positions ofthe wheel assemblies. In Vlike manner, studs 52 provide stops which are so positioned in the peripheries of the stationary plates ll4 as to permit alignmentof the notches27 with the studs26in raised4A positions of'the wheel assemblies, as Vshown atutherjght in Figure 1.

When the boat 10 is to:betransportedoverland,,a caster wheel 53 supports the forward end of theboat. This wheel is supported in a fork 54 which is rotatably'mounted on the lower end of a tubular .support 55 through'the medium of a rotatable connection56 from which extends a shank 57, entering'the open lower end of the tubular supportSS and secured therein by a key` S which extends through a diametrical hole 59 (Figure 5) in the shank 57 which matches with holes in the tubular support 55.

The tubular support 55 is secured at its upper end to the prow of the boat by means of a bracket 60 and at its lower end by a bracket 61. Keys 62 and 63 provide for quick attachment and detachment of the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the tubular wheel support 55. A trailer hitch 64 is welded or otherwise secured to the tubular wheel support 55 adjacent its lower end.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modication as may be construed to fall within the scope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a boat having atransom, a retractable wheel assembly comprising a mounting plate statio-narily mounted on the transom of said boat, a stud protruding from said plate adjacent its perimeter, a Iboit aixed to and extending outwardly from the center of said plate, a disc mounted for rotatable and outward sliding displacement on said bolt and having circumferentially spaced notches adapted to selectively receive said stud in different positions or" said disc in relation to said plate, a pair of wheel supporting arms axed to and extending laterally from said disca wheel carrying frame supported by the outer ends of said arms and means `carried by said bolt for securing said disc against rotative and sliding displacement thereon.

2. In combination with a boat having a transom, a pair of wheel assemblies each comprising a stationary mounting plate axed to said boat transom, a threaded 4 bolt aiiixed to and extending outwardly from said plate, a, studl adjacent the perimeter of said plate, a dlsc rota- 'table on said bolt having a pair of relatively spaced peripheral slots adapted for selective engagement with said stud, a wheel carrying frame, means aihxed to and extending laterally from said disc for supporting said wheel carrying frame, said disc being movable axially on said bolt to adjust the same rotatably in relation to said plate and means for securing said disc in adjusted positions to hold said wheel frame in raised and lowered positions.

3. The structure of claim 2, and circumferentially spaced means carried by said plate and engageable by said wheel carrying frame supporting means for limiting rotative displacement thereof beyond raised and lowered positions of said wheel carrying frame.

4. ln combination with a boat having a transom, a pair of retractable wheel assemblies mounted in spaced relationship on said transom, each comprising a mounting plate secured to said transom, a threaded bolt axed perpendicularly to'saidplate at its center, a wheel carrying frame, a supporting arm aixed at one end and extending laterally from said frame, a disc affixed to the opposite end lof said arm in the same plane therewith and rotatably receivable on said bolts, means carried jointly by saiddisc and saidplate cooperating to hold said disc in rotatively adjusted positions on said wheel carrying frame in raised and loweredpositions.

5. The-structure of claim 4 in which the means carried jointly by. said disc and said plate consists yof a stud aixed to and extending outwardly from said plate adapted to be ,selectively received in circumferential-ly spaced peripheral notches in said disc.

6. The structure of claim 4 in which said disc is movable axially on said bolt and means threaded onto said bolt and adapted to bear against said disc to hold the same in xed relation to said plate.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,484,346 Iorns Oct. 11, 1949 2,598,046 Frey May 27, 1952 2,624,591 Choplin Jan. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 889,718 France Oct. 1,1, 1943 

